Transcript Highlights:

• We are in strong support of this bill in order to protect our palm species and especially our native
• 01:23:14.719> and<01:23:15.120> especially<01:23:15.600> our<01:23:16.239> native
• <01:23:16.719> palms, species and especially our native palms, species and especially our
• native palms, the<01:23:17.360> lulu<01:23:18.080> as<01:23:18.400> well<01:23:18.560

Bills: HB1697, HB1678, HB1679, HB2282, HB1940, HB1671, HB1481, HB2015, HB2207, HB2486

Keywords: natural hair braiding, registration, Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing Act, public health, sanitation, cumulative voting, associations, unit owners, board of directors, elections, Hawaii Revised Statutes, condominium, association meetings, electronic voting, proxy voting, mail voting, insurance, premium increase, policy cancellation, licensing

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1697, which would exempt natural hair braiders from licensing requirements under certain conditions. The DCCA Board of Barbering and Cosmetology said it recognizes braiding as within the scope of cosmetology practice but warned that a broad exemption could create consumer protection gaps, especially around sanitation training, tool use, and enforcement. Supporters from the Institute for Justice and the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii argued the current licensing regime is overly burdensome and unrelated to braiding, citing the 1,250-hour training requirement, high tuition costs, barriers for low-income entrepreneurs, and the fact that many other states already exempt braiders. Committee members asked whether a standalone sanitation course or similar training could address the board’s concerns, and the board said it would bring that idea back for discussion. The committee also noted 16 written testimonies in support and 2 in opposition. The committee then took up HB 1678, relating to condominium and planned community association elections using cumulative voting. Supporters, including the Hawaii State Association of Parliamentarians, said the bill would clarify that cumulative voting applies to all candidates, including write-ins, and would help resolve confusion in association elections. One testifier urged the committee to remove proxy voting, calling it an abuse of power in some associations, while another asked whether cumulative voting and proxies could be manipulated to stack votes. In response, the parliamentarian explained that cumulative voting and proxy voting are different, that proxies simply allow someone to vote on another’s behalf, and that existing deadlines and counting procedures reduce opportunities for abuse. Testimony also emphasized that electronic or mail voting can be secure and efficient, and that the bill would make the process clearer and more democratic. Finally, the committee heard testimony on HB 1679, which would clarify an association board’s authority over electronic meetings, electronic voting, voting without a meeting, and mail voting without a meeting. Supporters said the measure would clean up statutory language, make electronic voting optional, and fix problems created by a 2024 change that made written-consent timing rules difficult to use for association actions. They also said the bill would clarify that proxies are only used at meetings, not for actions taken without a meeting. One opponent argued the bill needs further amendment because electronic voting is not well defined and could be abused, and questioned the neutrality of parliamentarians testifying on condominium bills. No votes were taken on any of the measures during the portion of the meeting provided.

Bills: HB1881, HB2218, HB1956, HB2151, HB1845, HB1844, HB2103, HB2424, HB1650, HB376, HB2599, HB1861

Keywords: land use, ropeway, transportation, state regulation, government exemption, DLNR, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Board of Land and Natural Resources, BLNR, public lands, public trust resources, community co-management, co-management agreement, community-based organization, Native Hawaiian, malama aina, ahupuaa, subsistence, cultural resources, religious practices

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 10, 2026, with Chair Mark Hashem outlining strict testimony rules and noting a time constraint because of later hearings and floor session obligations. The committee then took up several bills, hearing mostly supportive testimony on HB 1881 relating to land use, HB 2218 relating to DLNR/community management, and HB 1956 relating to freshwater waves, while HB 1845 relating to the Land Use Commission drew legal concerns and opposition. HB 2151 relating to building materials had no substantive testimony presented in the excerpt, and the committee moved through it quickly. On HB 1881, testimony focused on protecting North Shore lands from overdevelopment. A supporter described the area as valuable precisely because it remains largely undeveloped, and a member asked whether the bill’s restrictions on “finculars” would affect existing or future private residential installations; the response suggested the bill was aimed at future commercial uses and that grandfathering or personal-use exceptions might be possible, but the exact wording would need legal refinement. HB 2218 received broad support from OHA, DLNR, Kua, Sierra Club, Hui Maka Aana, the Honlay Initiative, and others, who said the measure would expand community-based co-management across DLNR divisions, build on existing park partnerships, and produce real benefits such as better stewardship, safer access, local jobs, and stronger community trust. Members asked about the bill’s five-year review structure, how multiple community groups would be handled, and whether the model could apply to ocean or nearshore areas; DLNR said the board would retain authority, agreements would be non-exclusive and subject to review, and the department was still working through how the approach would function across different divisions and marine settings. For HB 1956, the Attorney General offered technical comments, urging clearer definitions of “residing” and “freshwater way,” clearer timing for citations and arrests, and more explicit procedural safeguards and agency roles. On HB 1845, the Attorney General and Land Use Commission raised concerns that the bill could conflict with constitutional protections for important agricultural lands and could not be reconciled with existing voting requirements; the LUC also said commissioners cannot vote by proxy under sunshine law and warned that the bill could allow too few commissioners to approve major boundary changes. Members questioned how the bill would work in counties without designated important agricultural lands, and the LUC explained that Kauai is the only county to have completed the IAL process, while the broader statutory process remains county-driven and has been the subject of litigation. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• reconciliation process for Native reconciliation process for Native Hawaiians.
• <00:12:39.960> Hawaiian And that's part of why Native Hawaiian And that's part of why Native
• weakened 'aina, or bypassed Native weakened 'aina, or bypassed Native Hawaiian<00:15:24.320>
• So, in Native Hawaiians, you know, um, Native Hawaiian issues, um, are alleviated by economic means.
• like the way tribes are doing it. like the way tribes are doing it.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first cohort funded two tribes and started in July 2019, and the second cohort funded nine tribes
• youth, tribes, and tribal services.
• And Chairman James, the cultural aspect of individual tribes, Yurok tribe, Yohavitam tribe, the individuals
• It'll be within the tribes and with a consortium of our nine tribes in Southern California.
• Two tribes in the first cohort, nine tribes funded in the second cohort, one tribe was in both cohorts

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I do think that it's important to note that we're not Alaska. I looked at the chart.
• So, good news, we're not Alaska. In fact, we're quite a bit lower than that.
• There are 33 counties and 23 tribes. That would be $768,000 per council.
• Representative Garrett, that's the request from the health councils, and not every Pueblo tribe and nation
• are licensed, a lot of physicians who are licensed in New Mexico who may be providing services in Alaska

Transcript Highlights:

• 11th grade enrolled in the Navajo tribe.
• to support policies that respect tribal sovereignty and create opportunity for Native families and Native
• to support policies that respect tribal sovereignty and create opportunity for Native families and Native
• The tribe has a strong history. The tribe has a strong history of strong women leaders.
• And Native students.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It has been 73 years ago that Native Americans legally won the vote It has been 73 years ago that Native
• communities as well as Native people across the state.
• tribe in the region located in the— Which is the parent tribe in the region located in the southernmost
• Pretty Plume is a Native American champion powwow dancer.
• The tribe has a history of strong women leaders.

Bills: HB111, HJR1, HB61, HB8, HB30, HB43, HB156, HJM2, HM7, HM17, HM4, HM22, HM23, HM24, HM26, HM2, HM16, HM11, HM14, HM21, HM34, HM50, HB70, SB3, HJM3

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• And then moving into slide six, our Native American Early Childhood Centers.
• The respective leadership of those nations, pueblos, and tribes.
• I do encourage our nations, Pueblos, and tribes, and native-serving early education centers.
• How are we approaching urban native kids?
• And that especially impacts Native American and Black women.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is a good opportunity for—it leaves the option open for members of Native American tribes to
• Also, as our tribes have become more and more blended, sometimes you cannot tell if someone's Native
• And we share with the largest Native American sovereign tribe in the nation.
• And we share with the largest Native American sovereign tribe in the nation, us, Arizona and Utah, with
• But most importantly, above all... ...else, it helps our Native American federally registered tribes

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• prevent pollution, weakening states' and tribes' ability to better protect their own water.
• prevent pollution, weakening states' and tribes' ability to better protect their own water.
• <01:34:20.719> Alaska, our own environment, too. Alaska, our own environment, too.
• Sheriff Coleman is a Savannah native, and he's a proud 30-year Georgia-certified peace officer.
• Sheriff Coleman is a Savannah native, and he's a proud 30-year Georgia-certified peace officer.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, December 11, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are requirements that we must follow in working with tribes and pueblos regarding Native children
• As was already spoken to, genetic testing has a violent history for native communities, and tribes do
• The DNA testing will tell us if they are Native American, but it will not tell us which tribe or nation
• All the other tribes and pueblos will be given to the BIA to facilitate our Native tribe. tribe.
• American tribes.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have a lot of mixed marriages, non-native and native, right? And diseases don't stop there.
• And we have a lot of mixed marriages, non-native and native, right? And diseases don't stop there.
• as a tribe, again, putting on my own policy hat here for my tribe.
• Okay, the tribe, we go to the tribe, well, it's kind of a state thing.
• not saying we want to, like, tax a tribe or we want the tribe to pay.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• uh we we just have the two tribes here. uh we we just have the two tribes here.
• um between the agencies and the tribes. um between the agencies and the tribes.
• Chairman, Patrick Goggles, and other members of the tribes to work in Native American country, you know
• <01:16:01.520> tribes tribe tribes tribe tribes plural.
• tribe that they got to uphold. tribe that they got to uphold.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sioux Tribe.
• Sioux Tribe.
• bills. ...on some of the House bills and Senate bills that are being passed on, for Native tribes in
• Mescalero Apache Tribe.
• it because some tribes have refused, refused And the tribe to be participants in it because some tribes

Summary: The committee met at Spirit Lake Tribe and first heard welcoming remarks and introductions from tribal leaders and program directors. Chairwoman Street and other tribal representatives outlined a range of concerns and requests for state action, including taxation of reservation lands, support for non-beneficiary students at the tribal school, homelessness funding, Indian-managed health care, gaming and e-tabs, Feather Alert improvements, industrial farming near waterways, tourism, and better state-tribal consultation. Committee members responded that the meeting was intended to improve understanding and communication, and several members suggested future legislation or resolutions could be used to advance some of the issues. The tribe also offered to provide training on treaties, IHS 638, and compact services to legislators and staff. A major portion of the discussion focused on Spirit Lake fish and wildlife jurisdiction and the lake boundary. Tribal representatives asked for an MOU or co-stewardship agreement with the state to clarify hunting and fishing rights, recognize tribal licenses, and reduce recurring disputes over “gray areas” on the reservation and lake. Committee members discussed whether to draft a bill or resolution directing the executive branch and state agencies to negotiate such an agreement, and asked that North Dakota Game and Fish be invited to a future meeting. Related concerns included aquatic nuisance species prevention, with both sides agreeing that more aggressive boat inspection and cleaning measures would be beneficial. The committee also discussed taxation and county relations. Tribal leaders raised concerns about county resistance to fee-to-trust transfers and about property and vehicle taxation affecting members living on or near reservation lands. Committee members and tribal counsel reviewed federal treaty principles and court cases, and one member noted that the committee had previously taken no formal action on similar issues. Later, Benson County’s tax equalization director explained how the county values taxable land, handles inundated land applications, and tracks land coming off the tax rolls when the tribe repurchases acreage. The discussion ended with a presentation from the president of Sisseton Wahpeton College, who described the college’s programs, economic impact, and funding needs, followed by an HHS presentation on 1115 Medicaid waivers and the IMD exclusion as the committee moved to its next topic.

Transcript Highlights:

• Wahpeton Sioux Tribe.
• bills... ...for Native tribes in North Dakota to be aware of what's being passed at the House level
• And the tribe can tax its own people, but the tribe can also tax non-Indian folks that come here and
• Mescalero Apache Tribe.
• it because some tribes have refused.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:00:52.800> for the counties and tribes for the counties and tribes for administrative<
• Our Native American relatives, despite being Native American, have been stopped by ICE and have been
• Our Native American relatives, despite being Native American, have been stopped by ICE and have been
• Many Native Americans who are homeless are also unsheltered at a rate of over two times what non-Native
• The tribes of rental assistance.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3403, authored by Vice Chair Rep. Kazowski, and first adopted an A1 amendment. The amendment made technical and implementation changes recommended by the Department of Revenue, allowed a small portion of funds for county and tribal administrative costs, and clarified timing and reporting for spent and unspent funds. After the amendment was adopted, the bill was moved to Ways and Means. Rep. Kazowski described HF 3403 as a $50 million emergency rental assistance measure to help stabilize households facing eviction, with $44 million directed to counties and $6 million reserved for tribal nations, administered through the Department of Revenue using the existing local homeless prevention aid formula. Supporters said the bill would provide immediate, targeted help to renters and landlords, prevent evictions, and reduce downstream costs to shelters, schools, employers, and health systems. Several testifiers, including representatives from Greater Twin Cities United Way, St. Louis County, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, social workers, a resident, and tribal housing leaders, said local resources were insufficient to meet rising need and emphasized the impact of federal immigration enforcement and related economic disruption on families, workers, and communities. Testimony highlighted sharp increases in rental assistance requests, rising eviction filings, depleted county funds, and the strain on nonprofit and mutual aid efforts. County and city officials said emergency rental assistance and related legal services had already prevented thousands of evictions, but current funding was not enough. Tribal testimony stressed disproportionate homelessness among Native Americans and supported the bill’s tribal allocation. During member discussion, Rep. Amani Hiltsley said the bill was an economic stabilization tool and requested a roll call vote, noting safeguards against fraud and the broader costs of inaction.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have a lot of mixed marriages, non-native and native, right? And diseases don't stop there.
• And we have a lot of mixed marriages, non-native and native, right? And diseases don't stop there.
• , work going forward as a tribe, again, putting on my own policy hat here for my tribe.
• Coming from this committee would, I think, signify that the Native community and the non-Native community
• not saying we want to, like, tax a tribe or we want the tribe to pay.

Summary: The meeting focused heavily on behavioral health and substance use treatment, especially the IMD exclusion and whether North Dakota should pursue a Section 1115 waiver to allow Medicaid reimbursement for services in institutions for mental diseases for adults ages 21 to 64. Turtle Mountain representatives described major local needs, including limited access to care, high syphilis rates, and the importance of timely public health data. They also discussed the tribe’s recovery center, which opened the prior year, now operating five levels of care with 16 beds, and the desire to expand capacity, possibly through an IMD waiver or related policy changes. Committee members also raised related issues such as rural health transformation funding, telehealth, workforce retention, and the need for better coordination between tribal and state public health systems. A central issue was Turtle Mountain Public Health’s long-running effort to secure a data use agreement with the state so it can receive surveillance data and respond directly to infectious disease cases among tribal members. Speakers said the tribe had a successful COVID-era agreement that allowed faster contact tracing and case management, but that agreement ended with the pandemic. They argued that current delays in sharing data, especially for sexually transmitted infections, leave the tribe unable to respond quickly, while the state and county epidemiology workload is too distant and stretched to be effective. Committee members expressed support and said they would look into the issue, noting that other tribes have secured similar agreements. The committee also heard a detailed presentation from the National Health Law Program on the IMD exclusion. The presenter explained that federal Medicaid law generally bars payment for care in facilities with more than 16 beds, but that states can use other tools such as state plan amendments, managed care arrangements, telehealth, and community-based services. He said IMD waivers are administratively complex, time-limited, and have shown mixed results in other states, with some gains in residential treatment access but limited evidence of improved overdose outcomes or stronger community-based care. He urged the committee to consider broader continuum-of-care solutions and cautioned that waivers alone are not a cure-all. No final vote was taken on the bill draft during the portion shown, but the committee discussed the proposal to appropriate $49,000 and one FTE to HHS to pursue an IMD waiver and report back in the next interim. Members also debated the policy rationale for the 16-bed limit, the role of the state versus tribal sovereignty, and whether the bill should move through the Health Care or Human Services committee in the future.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am testifying in favor of an act to protect native heritage.
• and tribes and nations across the state.
• The former Indian lands conveyed to members of the Wampanoag tribe and the lots...
• I represented the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah. I lived on the Vineyard in the '80s and early...
• The Herring Pond tribe in Plymouth ended up merging with the town of Plymouth.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development held a hearing on October 21, opening with a moment of silence for former committee chair Senator Edward Kennedy. Chairs Senator Paul Mark and Representative Sean Garballey then heard testimony on several bills related to tourism funding, arts infrastructure, public art, Native heritage, and a choreographer laureate. A major focus was legislation to require earlier distribution of regional tourism council grants from the Tourism Trust Fund, with testimony from regional tourism leaders from North of Boston, Metro West, Cape Cod, and Senator Joan Lovely. Witnesses said delayed grant allocations make it difficult to plan fall, winter, and shoulder-season marketing, and they argued that an October 1 or September 1 deadline would help preserve tourism’s economic impact without increasing appropriations. They cited tourism’s role in jobs, tax revenue, and regional economic development, especially for smaller and less prominent tourism regions. The committee also heard strong support for the Creative Space Act and the PLACE Act, which would help municipalities preserve affordable creative workspace and create a public art funding mechanism tied to state construction projects. Testimony from MassCreative, MAPC, arts organizations, muralists, and local arts leaders emphasized loss of workspace, displacement of artists, and the economic and community benefits of public art. Additional testimony supported bills to protect Native American heritage by preventing the sale of funerary and sacred objects in public or nonprofit collections, and a bill to establish a first-in-the-nation choreographer laureate of the Commonwealth. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee adjourned after public testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there are 24 tribes, nations, and pueblos in the state of New Mexico.
• And other Apache tribes as well as the nation.
• And then that's sent from the Indian affairs department to the tribe.
• So that's a challenge for some of the smaller tribes and non-gaming tribes.
• So that the graph explained how tribes, nations, and pueblos that were consult all the tribes, nations

Transcript Highlights:

• We as a tribe must act. That is why I'm here today.
• We as a tribe must act. That is why I'm here today.
• CILS represents tribes and Native Americans throughout the state of California.
• CILS attorneys representing tribes in courtrooms every day see cases involving Native children removed
• The purpose of ICWA was to ensure that Native children, parents, and tribes have heightened due process

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard a series of Assembly bills, with no formal votes taken because the committee was operating without a quorum and repeatedly noted that motions and votes would occur later when a quorum was present. Several measures drew broad support and no opposition, while others generated both support and opposition testimony on policy and legal grounds. AB 1744, the Clear Labels, Clear Seas Act, would prohibit sunscreen products marketed as reef safe, reef friendly, or similar terms from containing chemical UV filters. The author and student supporters said the bill is a truth-in-labeling measure meant to prevent greenwashing and protect marine ecosystems; Consumer Reports also supported it. No opposition was offered, and senators praised the student advocates. AB 713 would allow undocumented students at UC, CSU, and community colleges to access campus jobs. The author, a law professor, and many student and immigrant-rights organizations supported it, arguing it would reduce exploitation and improve affordability and retention; a few opponents argued it would conflict with federal law. Committee members expressed strong support and personal reflections on the issue. AB 1359 would let people age 80 and older opt out of jury service without a doctor’s note, and supporters said it would reduce burdens on older adults and people with Alzheimer’s or other conditions; there was no opposition. AB 2563 would standardize and clarify definitions of sex discrimination across California codes. Supporters, including women’s rights and reproductive health groups, said it would strengthen and harmonize protections; opponents argued it would blur distinctions between sex and gender identity and create legal conflicts. AB 1705 would require websites hosting sexually explicit content to verify consent for depicted persons before upload; supporters framed it as a response to nonconsensual pornography, while TechNet opposed the bill as overbroad for sites that prohibit such content, though Senator Wiener said he would support it while seeking further privacy-related amendments. The committee also heard AB 1940 on menopause-related workplace protections, with supporters saying it would clarify existing rights and improve workplace awareness, while the Chamber of Commerce opposed expanding the protected-class framework and urged reliance on reasonable accommodation law. AB 1824 would incorporate ICWA and Cal-ICWA protections into the Probate Code to prevent guardianship proceedings from being used to bypass tribal child welfare protections; tribal representatives and advocates strongly supported it and no opposition appeared. AB 2115 would issue a formal legislative apology to California Native peoples for historic state violence and discrimination and place a commemorative plaque at the Capitol; Native leaders and allies supported it, and committee members offered strong remarks in favor. AB 2076 would add nitrous oxide to age-verification restrictions on dangerous online products, prohibit purchase with gift cards or store credit, and increase penalties for large sellers; supporters cited youth misuse and public safety harms, and TechNet/CCIA moved from opposition to neutral. AB 2783 would expand court reporter licensure reciprocity and extend a remote court reporting pilot, with support from court reporters and the Judicial Council and no opposition. AB 1916 would include American Sign Language interpreters in the court interpreter collective bargaining framework; interpreters and disability advocates supported it, while the Judicial Council opposed it, saying the act was designed for spoken-language interpretation and the amendment did not fully resolve implementation concerns.